Railway axle journal lubricator



April 5, 1955 J. J. HENNESSY RAILWAY AXLE JOURNAL LUBRICATOR 2Sheets-Sheet 1 Original Filed Feb. 1, 1950 FIG 1/ 2 4- 14 /a lid Jiffyfare/773w w, /w @M A April 5, 1955 J. J. HENNESSY RAILWAY AXLE JOURNALLUBRICATOR 2 Shets-Sheet 2 Original Filed Feb. 1, 1950 In yer/72W Q/amesv/ //e/me::y

United States Patent RAILWAY AXLE JOURNAL LUBRICATOR James J. Hennessy,Chambersburg, Pa., assignor to Hennessy Lubricator Company, Inc.,Chambersburg, Pa., a corporation of Delaware Continuation of applicationSerial No. 141,647, February 1, 1950. This application August 1, 1952,Serial No. 302,054

Claims. (Cl. 308-84) This application is a continuation of my earlierapplication, filed February 1, 1950, Serial No. 141,647, now abandoned.

The invention relates to lubricators and railway axle box journals inwhich lubricant is fed from a reservoir in or formed by the bottom ofthe box to a journal by a mechanical pump actuated by the jarring of thebox as it travels over railway joints or other track inequalities.

The invention consists primarily in a spring-supported weight and acollapsible pump body actuated by the relative vertical movements of theweight on its supporting s ring.

The main object of the invention is to produce an automatically operatedpump of simple, inexpensive construction, which will be eifective topump lubricant to the journal surface irrespective of the presence ofwaste or other packing which has a tendency to glaze and to separatefrom the surface of the journal to which it is applied.

In the accompanying drawings illustrating selected embodiments of theinvention,

Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal section through an A. A. R.(American Association of Railroads) axle journal box showing the journalbearing and wedge applied, the box being equipped with a lever typepump.

Figure 2 is a vertical transverse section taken approxi mately on theline 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a top view of the pump unit which is in serted between thejournal and the bottom of the box.

Figure 4 corresponds to Figure 1, but illustrates another form of theinvention.

Figure 5 corresponds to Figure 2, but illustrates another form of theinvention.

Figure 6 is a detail taken on the horizontal section line 66 of Figure5.

The box 1 shown in Figures 1, 2, and 3 is mounted upon the journal 2 ofan axle 3 provided with the usual bearing 4 and wedge 5. A holding plate6 has its inner end 7 welded at W to the inside inner end wall 8 of thebox and has its outer end 9 welded at W to the upturned forward box wall10. The plate may be welded to the box also at W" to prevent it fromsagging. The left hand portion of the plate is split to form anelongated SlOt 6a.

A bracket 11, having an I section, is slidable on plate 6 to the innerend of slot 6a and journals a fulcrum pin 12 for mounting a leverconsisting of an arm 13 which extends to the left of fulcrum 12 andcomprises or carries a substantially heavy weight, there being an arm 14extending to the right of fulcrum 12 and terminating in a forked endhaving terminals 15 extending downwardly at opposite sides of holdingplate 6.

A pump is mounted upon the right hand end of lever arm 14 and includes acollapsible body 16 having a top plate 17, a bottom plate 18, and anintermediate partition plate 19. The bottom plate 18 has simple inletflap valves 20 and the intermediate partition plate 19 has correspondingoutlet flap valves 21, whereby, when the body is collapsed, fluid withinthe chamber 22 will be discharged first into chamber 23 and then throughthe opening in top plate 17 to an arcuate distributor pad 24, preferablyformed of fibrous material through which the lubricant may flow to thejournal. When the pump body is expanded, valves 21 are closed and valves20 are opened to admit fluid to chamber 22. Coil springs 43 and 44normally hold chamber 18 extended, but the chamber may be collapsed,whenever the box is jolted,

2,705,665 Patented Apr. 5, 1955 by the inertia of weight 13. When theforce of the jolt is expended, weight 13 will be returned by springs 43and 44 to the normal position shown in Figure 1.

Downwardly inclined terminals 15a on the forked terminals 15 of leverarm 14 form a guide for the lower end of the pump as it is moved intoassembled position and an upstanding finger 25 on holding plate 6 formsa stop to limit the rearward movement of the pump body.

Distributor 24 is carried by springs 26 which thrust the distributoragainst the journal. The pump unit, the distributor and thepump-operating weight lever are shown formed separately to facilitateinsertion in place under the journal, but the pump could be assembledwith either the distributor or pump if desired and where the value offewer separate parts is considered greater than easier insertion andremoval of the parts.

Figures 4, 5, and 6 illustrate another form of the invention in whichthe journal box 30, journal 31, bearing 32, wedge 33, pump body 34,distributor and distributor supporting springs 36 correspond to similarparts shown in Figures 13, but the pump operating weight 37 is supporteddirectly by a coil spring 38 seated on the bottom of the box and alsoforming a support for the bottom of the pump body. The spring ispositioned by a recess in the holding plate 39 which is welded to thebox at X and X. The upper end of the pump body is stitched todistributor 35, the latter being provided with an opening 42 leadingfrom the upper portion of the pump body.

The spring has a cap 40 and a rod 41 extends horizontally across cap 40and engages the bottom of the pump and supports the weight. Preferablythe weight is U-shaped (see Figure 6) with its spaced legs receiving thepump body between them so that the entire device occupies acomparatively small space longitudinally and transversely of the box.

The device operates similarly to the arrangement shown in Figures l-3.Whenever the box is jolted the inertia of weight 37 compresses spring 38causing the pump body to expand, drawing lubricant through inlet valvesin its lower end, and as spring 38 expands and weight 37 rises to itsnormal position, :as shown in Figures 4 and 5, the upper chamber of thepump is compressed and lubricant is discharged to the distributor.

Both forms of the device are simple and effective for the intendedpurpose. The details may be varied other than as described withoutdeparting from the spirit of the invention and the exclusive use ofthose modifications coming within the scope of the claims iscontemplated.

What is claimed is:

1. In a railway axle journal lubricator, an elongated support plate, apump mounted thereon and including a collapsible chamber, yielding meanssupported from said plate resisting collapsing of the chamber, a weightsupported from said plate and normally maintained at a predeterminedlevel by said yielding means and movable by its inertia and momentumfrom said position, relative to said pump chamber, to collapse said pumpchamber, said pump chamber having an inlet valve opened by the expansionof said chamber and closed by the contraction of said chamber, and anoutlet valve closed by the expansion of said chamber and opened by thecontraction of said chamber, a lubricant feed member leading from saidoutlet valve and arranged to discharge to the downwardly facing surfaceof an axle journal above said chamber, said plate, chamber, yieldingmeans, weight and feed member comprising a self-contained unitinsertible between a journal and the bottom of a box mounted thereon.

2. In a lubricator as described in claim 1, in which the pump is uprightand generally cylindrical, and the operating weight at least partiallysurrounds the pump.

\ 3. A railway axle journal lubricator pump unit comprising an elongatedsupport plate, a lever having a fulcrum thereon, an arm of said leverextending substantially horizontally in one direction from said fulcrumalongside said plate and carrying a weight, the lever having an armextending substantially horizontally in the opposite direction from saidfulcrum alongside said plate, a yielding device associated with. saidlatter-mentioned arm and adapted to counterbalance said weight, and apump actuated by oscillatory movements of said lever about said fulcrum.

4. A railway axle journal lubricator pump comprising a support member, alever having a fulcrum thereon, an arm of said lever extendingsubstantially horizontally in one direction from said fulcrum andcarrying a weight, the lever having an arm extending substantiallyhorizontally in the opposite direction from said fulcrum, a yieldingdevice supported from said member and associated with saidlater-mentioned arm and adapted to counterbalance said weight, a pumpactuated by oscillatory movements of said lever about said fulcrum andcomprising a collapsible body normally held expanded by said yieldingdevice. and provided with inlet and outlet check valves at itsrespective ends, there being a lubricant distributor associated with itsoutlet check valve.

5. In combination, a railway axle journal box, an elongated supportplate mounted on the inside bottom wall of the box, a lever fulcrumed onsaid plate with an arm extending along the bottom Jofthe box to beneaththe center of the box, a collapsible pump body mounted on the outer endof said arm, a lubricant distributor carried by the upper end of saidpump body, an operating arm extending in the opposite direction fromsaid fulcrum and carrying a weight, and a spring tending to hold thepump body normally in expanded position against the action of saidweight.

6. In combination, a railway axle journal, a box mounted thereon, aholding plate extending just above the bottom wall of the box from nearthe rear wall of the box to near the front opening in the box andsecured at its ends to the adjacent portions of the box, said platehaving a slot extending from near its forward end to a point beneath thejournal, a bracket slidable on said plate with a depending portionreceived in said slot and extending beneath the plate at the sides ofsaid slot, a lever fulcrumed on said bracket and having a carrying armextending from its fulcrum towards the rear of the box just above saidplate and having a weight arm extending from said fulcrum upwardly andforwardly towards the box opening beneath the journal collar, a pumpbody of flexible material with its lower end mounted on the inner end ofsaid carrying arm and its upper end adjacent the lower surface of thejournal, a spring holding said pump body expanded, said pump body beingcollapsible, at least in part, by the downward movement of said weight,there being inlet and outlet check valves in said pump body actuated bythe expansion and collapsing, respectively, of the pump body to admitfluid to the lower end of the pump body and to discharge fluid from theupper end of the body to the journal.

7. In combination, a railway axle journal, an axle 5 box carriedthereby, a pump body between the bottom of the box and said journal andincluding a collapsible chamber with inlet and outlet valves at itslower and upper ends respectively, means tending to expand said chambervertically, a spring yieldingly supporting said pump body from thebottom of the box, and a weight supported above the bottom of the box bysaid spring, and operating to collapse said pump body as the weightmoves downwardly and to permit the pump body to expand as the weightmoves upwardly.

8. In combination, a railwayaxle journal having an opening at itsforward end, an axle box carried thereby, a lubricant pump deviceinsertible into said box, and removable therefrom, through said openingand comprising a support member resting upon the bottom of the box, apump body comprising a collapsible chamber with flexible walls, andhaving an inlet valve, opening as the chamber is expanded and closed asthe chamber is collapsed, and having an outlet valve closing as thechamber is expanded and opening as the chamber is collapsed, meansyieldingly holding said chamber against collapsing, and a weightassociated with said means to overcome the latter and partially collapsethe chamber when the Weight is jarred, said chamber, means and weightbeing carried by said support member.

9 A railway axle journal lubricator pump unit comprising a support forapplication to the bottom wall of a journal box, a lever having afulcrum, with a horizontal axis, on said support, and having an armextending substantially horizontally in one direction from said fulcrumand carrying an inertia weight, and having an arm extending horizontallyin the opposite direction from said fulcrum and carrying a pump chamberwith flexible walls and collapsible vertically with its lower endprovided with an inlet valve and with its upper end provided with anoutlet valve and a journal-engageable part, and yielding means thrustingsaid chamber ends apart.

A railway axle'journal lubricator pump unit comprising a support forapplication to the bottom wall of a journal box, an upright coil springassociated with said References Cited in the file of this patent UNITEDSTATES PATENTS 51,474 Pease Dec. 12, 1866 228,657 Luders June 8, 1880563,270 Godley July 7, 1896 1,739,944 Braselton Dec. 17, 1929

